#good brother crosshair

[homeforclones]

The difference between Season 1 and Season 3 of the Bad Batch

Season 1: Omega: Crosshair, can I have a hug? Crosshair: The audacity??? Of this Child??? Nothing would revolt me more than to show any kind of weakness to sate your neediness. Season 3: Omega: Crosshair, you're getting a hug. Crosshair: The charity??? Of my Sister??? Nothing would give me more joy than to be hugged by the Literal Angel that you are, though I am a lowly worm.

[casual-violinist-fangirl]

Sweet Child of Mine (3,782 Words)

A follow on from my fic 'You are Not Alone.' I would recommend reading that one first but it's not essential! Basically, Omega has returned from the Rebellion after the war and is pregnant.

Back by popular demand is Ba'buir Hunter! I had no idea how popular he would be but I'm here for it!

As always, the link to my AO3 page is here and the link to my masterlist on Tumblr is here!

--------

Hunter awoke about an hour after he’d drifted into a light sleep, confused for a moment as to what had woken him up. 

It became pretty clear when he heard a slow intake of breath followed by a gradual shuffle of someone in pain moving back and forth… who could be up at this time? Wrecker would be making more noise if this was him, and Crosshair hated pacing. It drove the man insane, so there was no way that it was him. That, of course, left one member of the household. Clambering out of bed, Hunter padded down the stairs of their home and into the living room.

The sight in front of him made his heart drop into his stomach.

There, in her pyjamas, was Omega; she was braced against the back of the sofa, her hands gripping it tightly as she breathed in slowly through her nose and then out through her mouth. Her bump had dropped a few days ago, indicating that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy.

Hunter frowned. She was in pain, he could practically see it radiating off of her.

“You struggling to sleep, ‘Mega?” he asked quietly, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. The woman simply nodded, a scowl on her face that told her buir everything he needed to know. His kid was in pain… a lot of pain. He stepped forward, coming up behind her and gently rubbing circles on her lower back in the way the nurse had suggested. The affect was almost immediate, with her becoming a little more relaxed.

“I think…” she trailed off, loosening her grip on the sofa and sanding to face her buir. “That these are contractions.”

Hunter didn’t know how to react, his mouth opening and closing a little like a fish. “Oh,” he eventually managed to stammer out, making Omega laugh. “How far apart?” he asked when his brain eventually kicked back into gear. She muttered her response and he breathed a sigh of relief. There was no need to panic yet. Even if his little girl’s face was contorted with pain and exhaustion. Hunter, deciding to try and hide his panic, offered the support he knew how to give.

“Want some help with that pacing?”

When Crosshair came down in the early morning for a glass of water, he froze before entering the kitchen; Omega was stood, hands braced on Hunter’s shoulders and her face buried in his chest as she took deep breaths. The ex-sergeant held her up by the arms, whispering quiet support in her ear as she worked her way through another contraction. Hunter glanced up at his brother, having spotted him and they had a silent conversation.

Need me here?

Not yet. It’s not time.

Crosshair nodded his head in a ‘if you need me, get me,’ gesture and Hunter nodded with a grateful smile on his face. He then went back to soothing his daughter.

“That was an impressive one,” Omega wheezed out as it passed; she went a little limp, glad that her buir was there to catch her and support her weight. They wondered over to the couch, Hunter carefully guiding her into a seated position. The exhaustion was beginning to catch up with the young woman and he could see her eyes drooping as her head began to nod.

“Get some sleep if you can, ad’ika,” he whispered, also taking a seat on the sofa. She curled into him, forcing him to put an arm around her and hold her close… not that he minded. 

Omega slowly nodded off, her face still washed over with a pained expression. She was really struggling, Hunter thought to himself as he rested his head against the back of the couch. A small nap wouldn’t hurt, he mused as he let himself drift back into a light sleep.

He was woken up by the sound of heavy breathing and a low and drawn out groan. 

Jerking awake, the first thing he was aware of was Omega, hunched forward and groaning as a contraction washed over her. The next thing he knew was that Crosshair was crouched in front of her, holding her hands and whispering meditation breathing techniques that she had taught him. The final thing he became aware of as he drifted into consciousness was the huge wet patch on the couch. 

“Waters broke a minute ago,” Crosshair responded to his thoughts, and Hunter nodded. He gave himself a second to absorb the information before shifting on the couch to sit up properly.

“Time to go get comfy?” he asked, Omega nodding with her face scrunched up. 

“Feels like I can’t walk…” she stammered out through heavy breathing.

Hunter and Crosshair glanced at each other; none of their family had considered that Omega would struggle to get up the stairs whilst in labour… it was time for an impromptu plan B.

Standing up, Hunter encouraged his kid onto her feet, supporting her in the same way he had earlier in the night. Crosshair seemed to understand what he was going for because he quickly left the room and returned with a plastic bin bag and a bed sheet.

The ex-sniper made quick work of covering the wet patch with the bag and then placing a bed sheet over the couch cushions.

Omega slowly changed out of her wet pyjama trousers before she sat down heavily, leaning back on the couch.

“This is so much worse than I thought,” she ground out, making Hunter chuckle nervously as he perched next to her. She scowled at him, though it quickly turned into a whimper as another contraction hit. Distantly, Hunter heard Crosshair tapping a stopwatch to time it. She gripped Hunter’s hand once more and gritted her teeth, a determined look on her face.

“How far apart now?” the young woman asked her brother once the wave had passed. Crosshair checked the timer and grimaced. 

“About five minutes,” he replied, glancing up at his sister. She nodded, reaching for her comm device.

“Time to call Lyana and AZI. Things are beginning to move along.”

——

It was not Lyana or AZI  who had arrived at the house ten minutes later, but a medical droid. Upon arriving, the droid had said that both Lyanna and AZI were attending an emergency on the other side of Pabu. It then insisted on seeing Omega on her own. 

“The patient will be examined and then we will discuss who is in the room for delivery,” it had stated in a monotonous voice. “Unless the father of the baby is here, of course.”

Crosshair had nearly needed holding back at the mention of ‘the father.’ Luckily, Hunter and Wrecker had caught him by the arms and gently pulled him back. The three ex-soldiers had miserably trudged upstairs and waited for news…

… the waiting, along with hearing Omega’s pained cries, was unbearable.

“Who knew having a baby hurt so much,” commented Wrecker, who was clutching Lula close and squeezing her every time he heard his little sister. Crosshair had pulled out a cigarette and lit it; Hunter didn’t even have the presence of mind to scold him. If there was a time to have a sneaky smoke, now was it. They were in Crosshair’s room anyway. It’s not like he was going to stink out Hunter’s room with smoke. 

Out of the three of them, for once, Hunter looked the most calm. He was sat, concentrating on the sounds coming from downstairs. He heard the medical droid offering an injected pain killer, to which Omega said no and called it a ‘kriffing idiot.’

After an hour or so of sitting in a torturous cycle, Hunter heard a different tone to Omega’s voice. She was flagging and it was beginning to become clear.

“Is there nothing I can take orally?” he heard her ask the droid in a quiet voice. There was a pause as the droid considered this.

“An oral pain killer would not take affect in time,” it replied eventually. “You are sure you do not want me to…”

The droid did not get to finish it’s sentence as Omega let out a pained groan once more. That was when Hunter heard her say something. It was a quiet whimper, practically a whisper but it was loud enough for him to hear it.

“I just want my buir.”

Hunter wasted no time sprinting down the stairs and into the room; there, Omega lay on the couch looking sweaty and tear stained. The medical droid appeared by his side and if it could have glared, Hunter had a feeling it would be right now.

“I thought I said no to others in here,” it scolded lightly, but the ex-sergeant was having none of it.

“And I’m asking you to leave,” he snapped. “Omega’s asked for my help. I’m not going to leave her.”

He glared at the droid for a moment before it decided that it was losing this battle and began to make it’s way out of the room, grumbling about unruly patients. As it left, Hunter hollered after it, “And fetch Lyana and AZI if they’re back!”

His attentions were on Omega the second the droid was gone; she looked dazed and pained and it hurt him that there was nothing he could do to help her. He opted instead to find a cool, damp cloth and place it on her forehead. She smiled at him, her hand going to find his.

“Thank you,” she said with a huff. “That droid was beginning to wind me up.” Hunter let out a small laugh as his kid. “Beginning to?” he asked. “He was winding me up the minute he arrived.”

The pair snorted with laughter before Hunter gently kissed her forehead.

“How you feeling, ad’ika?” he asked, smoothing back some of her hair and fixing it in place with her usually bandanna. 

“Sore, restless, tired,” Omega glanced down at her baby bump. “I just want this part to be over now.”

Her buir nodded, crouching down next to the couch and picking up one of her hands. He stroked his thumb over her knuckles in small, soothing circles. Seconds later she was gripping his hand and groaning as another contraction washed over her. He wrapped an arm around his daughter’s shoulders, muttering support to her as she worked her way through the pain. As it faded and she went limp in his arms she frowned.

“That one felt different,” she started, making Hunter raise an eyebrow. “And it feels a little bit like I… like I need the ‘fresher.” 

Hunter didn’t begin to get time to think about what that meant before Lyana and AZI burst into the room.

“Omega!” AZI floated around in his usual panic before Lyana sent him a look. 

“Hey,” Omega replied before her face crumpled once more. Hunter felt helpless as he watched her grapple with the pain. “This one feels the same,” she said more to her buir as she took steadying breaths.

Lyanna wasted no time getting to work; Hunter couldn’t quite believe that the little girl he’d met all those years ago had become a doctor. He pulled up a stool, sitting next to the couch and gripping Omega’s hand in an attempt to help her relax a little.

“I reckon you’re ready to push, ‘Mega.” Lyana’s voice was calm and soothing, everything that the young clone needed to hear. She nodded, a brave look on her face despite the raised heartbeat Hunter could hear. She glanced up at her buir, letting her mask fall for a split second. She was terrified. 

Hunter moved closer to his daughter, holding her close and kissing the top of her head. 

“Not long now, ad’ika,” he reassured. “Not long now.”

——

An hour.

That’s how long Omega had pushed for… an hour. She had sobbed hysterically after about forty minutes, declaring that she couldn’t do it anymore. Lyana had stepped in at that point, scolding her best friend for giving up.

“You’ve been through worse than this, Omega. You are not going to give up.”

The words of the young doctor had worked, and twenty minutes later the sounds of a wailing baby could be heard. A little girl with a small tuft of blonde hair.

More tears were shed, by Omega, by Hunter, and by Lyana. The baby was quickly taken care of thanks to AZI, and placed in the waiting arms of her mother.

“She’s perfect,” Omega had sniffled as she stoked a gentle finger against the baby’s cheek. Hunter… Hunter had gone into shock a little. He stared down at the baby, his eyes filled with happy tears for his daughter and granddaughter. He nodded mutely, not trusting himself to say anything without snivelling like a child. The pair sat together, watching this new life now asleep contentedly against her mother’s chest. 

“She can probably hear your heartbeat,” Hunter muttered, having read something about babies using the heartbeat of their mothers to soothe themselves. He could relate to that, especially in the months after Tantiss.

Omega had wanted to get herself sorted out a little before seeing the rest of her family, so Lyana and AZI helped her hobble to the kitchen to change and get cleaned up; the bathroom was upstairs, and Omega had barked out a laugh when AZI had asked if she could manage the stairs. 

That left Hunter, still sat on the stool next to the couch, awkwardly cradling his newborn baby bu’ad. He smiled tearfully as he watched her sleep, tuning into her heartbeat. 

“Hello,” he whispered, not wanting to wake the child. In that moment, part of him ached; it ached with a regret that he hadn’t been able to hold Omega like this when she was this age, that he had missed all of the new and exciting things that this baby was going to experience… he guessed he would just have to take solace in the fact that this baby would never know the pain that Omega had at such a young age. She would never feel alone and neglected, never feel as though no one loved her, never spend nights crying herself to sleep over her trauma that she had experienced har too young.

Yes, Hunter could take solace in that.

A shuffle from the doorway caught his attention and he glanced up only to see Omega moving back into the room, clinging to Lyana’s arm whilst AZI hovered ahead. She smiled at the sight in front of her, her buir cradling his sleeping granddaughter. Moving slowly, she started to make her way back to the couch, breathing heavily and gritting her teeth. This was hard! When did walking become difficult?!

Hunter wasted no time standing and carefully passing the baby to AZI, who wanted to run some checks. He moved to Omega’s other arm and helped her back onto the couch. The young clone heaved a sigh of relief as she settled before looking over at where AZI was checking over the baby. Her buir wasted no time, moving to sit next to her on the couch.

“You okay, ‘Mega?” he asked, a touch of concern in his voice. She nodded in response, a tired smile on her face. “Can I get you anything, kid?” He kept pressing, offering her a drink and some food (which she readily accepted) and an extra cushion to help her sit up. She laughed fondly at his words, leaning her head against his shoulder. Hunter froze, stopping his nervous ramble and relaxing. He rested his cheek against the to of her head, smiling contentedly.

“I thought grandparents were supposed to fuss over the baby, not the mother,” his daughter joked tiredly. Hunter let out a small huff of laughter before looking down at his little girl.

“I’ve got to make sure my baby’s okay first,” he replied, his voice croaking.

Omega’s eyes filled with tears (again). “You never knew me when I was that little,” she commented, a touch of sadness in her voice. “I wish you had.” Hunter let out a shaky breath.

“I wish I had too, ad’ika,” he replied. “Doesn’t stop you from being my baby, though. You’ll always be my little girl.”

The woman looked up at her buir, smiling a wide smile, but before anything else could be said, AZI floated over carrying the swaddled baby carefully. She was handed to Omega, who couldn’t contain the grin (or her tears) as she held her.

“Can you go and get the others?” she asked, glancing up at Hunter after a short while. He nodded at stood, leaving the room to summon his brothers.

Minutes later, Wrecker’s loud footsteps could be heard as he, Hunter and Crosshair made their way downstairs. The ex-sergeant entered the room first, smiling at Omega before moving to sit down in an arm chair; he’d already spent a lot of time with his granddaughter, it was only fair that he took a back seat for Crosshair and Wrecker.

Wrecker had cried. So had Crosshair, though he’d been better at hiding it (or so he thought). Both had been a little scared to hold the baby, for different reasons. Wrecker had cradled her like she was going to break; it reminded Hunter of the first time Wrecker had hugged Omega. The tiny baby looked even smaller in the arms of the large clone, and it was with trembling hands that he eventually gently handed her back to her mother.

Crosshair… Crosshair had been shaking from the moment he’d been asked if he wanted to hold her. Hunter stepped forward, putting a gentle hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“What if I drop her?” he asked, gesturing to his non-existent right hand. His brother simply guided him to a seat and showed him how to position his arms before carefully taking the little girl off of Omega. Once the baby was settled in Crosshair’s arms it was like no one else in the room existed. He stared, wide eyed, down at her; for a moment Hunter thought his brother was panicking, but then a small smile broke out on the ex-sniper’s face. It was the smile that he had only reserved for Omega when he had re-joined their squad. Omega smiled knowingly; just as she had all those years ago, her daughter had captured Crosshair’s heart and had it wrapped around her little finger.

“What’s her name?” he croaked out eventually. All eyes turned to Omega, who was watching her family with a tired look on her face. She glanced around the room, her eyes settling on the tiny baby.

“Her name is Mina.”

——

The little family had spent the rest of the day (the baby had been born at eleven in the morning) in their living room, talking quietly and taking it in turns to hold Mina. 

Omega had slept for quite a lot of that time, resting her head on the shoulder of whichever family member she was sat next to at that time. When the evening rolled around, Wrecker had helped her up the stairs and to her own room, where the baby’s cot had also been set up. Hunter carried Mina up to bed; Crosshair had admitted that he didn’t want to try moving with her until he was more confident. The ex-sergeant turned ba’buir hadn’t minded at all, his smile soft as he held his granddaughter close. When he arrived at Omega’s room, the door was cracked open to let him know that it was okay for him to enter. 

Omega was already in bed, clearly having been tucked in by Wrecker as she was propped up against her pillows carefully.

“Can I kiss her goodnight?” she asked in a small voice, which made Hunter frown. He perched on the edge of the bed and handed Mina over. “She’s your daughter, ad’ika,” he reminded gently. “You don’t need to ask permission to hold her.” Omega laughed a little at that. 

“Oh yeah,” she said as she pressed a gentle kiss against Mina’s forehead. Hunter glanced around the room to try and give the pair a little bit of privacy, tears springing to his eyes as he heard her whisper a soft “Goodnight, Mina. I love you, ik’aad.”

When he turned back, Omega was watching her buir with an amused look on her face.

“You can’t hide from me,” she laughed. “I know you’re a sentimental old man, even if you tried to hide it from me when I was younger.” Hunter plastered a false look of offence on his face, making his daughter laugh more. He took Mina from Omega, gently placing her down in the cot in the way that Lyana had shown the family earlier that day. He moved back to where his own little girl was resting, her eyes beginning to droop; she watched her daughter, a small smile on her face.

“How can you have only just met someone and love them so much it hurts?” she mused, glancing up at Hunter. Her buir grinned and perched on the edge of her bed once more.

“I…” he started, not really sure how to proceed. “I don’t really know, but that’s exactly what it was like when I met you.”

Omega’s eyes widened as she realised for the first time that the way she was feeling was exactly how Hunter must have felt. 

“Just you wait until she starts dating,” the ex-sergeant went on to joke, only for Omega to send him a cold, deadpan look that made him laugh more. His daughter shuffled further under her blankets, her eyes drooping again as she settled down for the night. “I don’t think I want her to call me buir…” she mused sleepily, capturing Hunter’s attention. “That’s you. I might stick with mom…” All her buir could do was nod; there was no point in responding as his ad’ika slipped into a light sleep.

Hunter hadn’t tucked her in in a long time, but he wouldn’t pass up on the opportunity tonight. He stooped and pressed a kiss to her temple before reaching over and turning off the bedside lamp.

“Goodnight, ad’ika,” he whispered before heading towards the bedroom door.

“Goodnight, ba’buir,” came the tired, yet teasing tone of his daughter. Like he needed help feeling old. He chuckled lightly and closed the bedroom door before heading to his own room.

He was a ba’buir… Hunter hadn’t thought that it was possible for his heart to feel more full when Omega had come tumbling into it, but here he was. His heart ached in the best way and he couldn’t help but smile as he dozed off that night.

[papanowo]

au where everyones chips all of a sudden just stop working and [almost] all the clones defect and stage a coup

EDIT GUYS PLEASE IM A FOX ENJOYER BUT LIKE I JUST THINK HED BE TOO FAR IN PALPATINES CLUTCHES TO DEFECT OK .. ITS AN ANGST THING PLS :(

[last-of-cheese]

I was informed that Bad Batch pop figures existed so naturally I had to immediately go buy my two favorite boys. I'll be buying the others next month but right now I just needed Echo and Cross.

And I've had a really rough past few days so for them to arrive today really made things so much better.

@kark-trooper-echo and @superiorsniper look how perfect you fit on my shelf.

[crosshairslongasslegs]

trying not to think about crosshair telling omega that hunter and wrecker might not be alive not because he thought that was true but because he was afraid to face the fact that they might not want him back

[smolbean-17]

How have we forgotten that Crosshair almost killed Hunter while freed from the chip’s influence?

“Hunter never wanted to go back for Crosshair, the audacityyy!”

Who in their right mind would want to go back for a sibling who tried to stab them to death. Honestly. In what real world scenario would that actually happen.

[rummikubcube]

NOT CROSSHAIR OFFERING HIS HAND TO ASAJJ BECAUSE IF ANYONE UNDERSTANDS HAVING A DARK PAST AND A GREY PRESENT IT’S HIM AND IF HIS LITTLE SISTER REMINDED HIM THAT HE GOT AN OPPORTUNITY TO CHANGE THEN WHO IS HE TO NOT EXTEND THAT SAME KINDNESS TO OTHERS.

[mochilainey]

IM SCREAMING

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP SHITTING

IM GOING INSANEEEEE

[fanfoolishness]

in the morning

Phee’s ship waits for them, the one bright spot in a terrible night. They make the climb down wordlessly. Dawn edges over the choppy seas, sunlight muted by the remnants of thick smoke still hanging in the air. An acrid burn sears Hunter’s lungs with every breath.

Phee, up ahead, ushers Wrecker into her ship. Hunter pauses, waiting for the footsteps behind him to catch up.

“Crosshair.”

His brother turns. Deep shadows line his face in the early gloom.

“Hunter.”

He doesn’t know how to say this, but his own words echo in his head. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away.

“Your hand,” says Hunter gruffly. “It’s getting worse.”

He’s not sure what he expects. A sharp denial, maybe, or a brusque march past him and onto the ship. He’s utterly surprised when Crosshair casts his eyes down and says evenly, “Yes. It is.”

“I thought it was getting better. Omega said the meditation was helping.”

Crosshair shrugs. “Well. She’s not here now, is she.” His hand twitches, and with a resigned look he lays his good hand over it, holding it still. He sighs. “But we’ll find her. We have to.”

“Look, I know you didn’t want to go back to —“ Hunter hesitates, seeing the shift in Crosshair’s stance, the sudden tension around his mouth, the dread. Hunter doesn’t say the name. “— back there. But I need you to know something.”

Crosshair waits, frozen. The shadows under his eyes make his thin face look gaunt, a hollow death’s head.

“Whatever they did to you there, it was wrong,” says Hunter. “I’m sorry.”

Crosshair’s hand trembles, but only slightly. He swallows, a muscle working in his cheek, and lifts his gaze to look Hunter in the eye.

He nods, and Hunter tilts his head to him.

“Come on. Let’s get going.”

The gloom shifts around them, smell of smoke heavy on the air, and they board the ship side by side, ready for the fight.

[kybercrystals94]

Where Fears Are Born

By KyberCrystals94

Read here on Ao3!

(posting this on tumblr in preparation for my sequel that I’m about to post on here! 😄)

Bad Things Happen Bingo | Prompt: And I Must Scream

Rating: G

Words: 232

Summary: The reason the Batch develops a fear of spiders (a prequel to @just-here-with-my-thoughts’ Phobia)

TW: Arachnophobia

“Tech, shut it off!”

“I can’t!”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to touch the screen!”

“Ugh, for kark's sake,” Crosshair said, snatching the offending data pad out of Tech’s lap. He deftly exited out of the program and dropped it back into its place.

Tech shoved it away as though it were one of the arachnids that had swarmed the woman in the film. Crowded together, shoulder to shoulder, the four cadets stared at the dark data pad now innocently nestled in the rumpled sheets of Tech’s bunk.

“That was definitely not a documentary,” Hunter said, shooting his bespectacled brother a disdainful look.

“The description was deceptively vague,” Tech protested, “How should I have known it was of the horror genre?”

“I’m never watching anything you download again,” Wrecker whimpered, pressing closer to Crosshair. “Are you sure there’s none of those spider things on Kamino?”

“None are native to this planet,” Tech said.

Crosshair smiled wickedly. “Doesn’t mean troopers don’t accidentally bring some back with them when they’ve been off planet. I’m sure there’s all sorts of spiders in the city not native to Kamino.”

“Stop it, Crosshair,” Hunter scolded, but the way his voice shook a little made Crosshair chuckle darkly.

“I bet they crawl under the doors of the barracks and hide in our beds,” Crosshair continued, wriggling his fingers.

“You have no way of knowing that is true.” Despite his own statement, Tech hugged his arms around himself and glanced around his bunk.

“And you,” Crosshair returned, “have no way of knowing it’s not .”

“Stop it!” Hunter said again, more firmly. “If it will help Tech and Wrecker sleep better, we can check all the beds.”

“Me sleep better?” cried Tech indignantly. “I’m not scared.”

“I’m not either,” Wrecker declared.

Crosshair carefully reached around and brushed one fingertip across the back of Hunter’s exposed neck, just at his hairline. The undignified shriek that emitted as a result sent Wrecker and Tech into a panic alongside, and before Crosshair even had a chance to inhale in order to laugh at them, all three of his brothers were all the way across the room.

“That wasn’t funny!” Hunter squawked, even as he pawed frantically at his neck, searching for the nonexistent, 8 legged creature.

“You’re right,” Crosshair gasped between fits of laughter, “It was hilarious!”

Tech pointed at him. “You are a fiend.”

“Was there actually a spider?” Wrecker asked, taking a step away from Hunter.

“No,” Hunter growled, scrunching his shoulders to resist the urge to continue his search, “It was just Crosshair.”

“This time,” Crosshair admitted. “Next time...it will be the real thing. Crawling in your blankets, in your hair, in your ears...”

“That’s it,” Hunter said decisively, “We are stripping all the bunks and checking for spiders.”

No one argued and set to work.

Crosshair didn’t help.

<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>

“What are you doing?”

Crosshair looked up from where he was carefully releasing a spider in Hunter’s bunk, trying to coax the little thing to climb the wall. “Shh,” Crosshair hissed, “Hunter’ll hear you.”

“Why are you doing that?” Echo reiterated, crossing his arms.

“Because it’s funny, di’kut. Now, shut your mouth.”

Echo frowned, but quietly watched as Crosshair finished his task. When the sniper stood upright, he grabbed Echo by the arm and pulled him off the ship and a good thirty feet away from the door.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re putting a spider in Hunter’s rack?” Echo asked, keeping his voice low.

Crosshair put on an air of faux patience. “It’s a little something some of us call a prank .”

Echo rolled his eyes. “I know what a prank is. But why a spider? Is Hunter scared of spiders?”

“Terrified,” Crosshair said with a rare smile. “They all are. Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech. We accidentally watched a stupid horror holo as cadets about spiders. Tech thought it was a documentary when he downloaded it.”

“So, what, you’ve terrorized them ever since?”

Crosshair shrugged. “It’s a good way to pass the time.”

Suddenly, chaos erupted from the Marauder, raised voices tangling over each other. Three full-grown men, some of the greatest commandos in the GAR, thundered down the ramp of the ship. Crosshair and Echo approached the trembling trio.

“What’s happened? What’s wrong” Crosshair sounded convincingly concerned, the edge of his usual sneer present but tamed.

Hunter bellowed, “Get it out!”

“Get what out?” Crosshair asked, eyes narrowed with uncomprehending innocence.

Echo had to bite the inside of his cheek avoid smiling.

“There’s a kriffing spider in my rack!” Hunter said, pointing emphatically back at the door.

Crosshair rolled his eyes. “It probably came in on your armor.”

The color drained from Hunter’s face, but he managed to bluster on in his best sergeant's tone. “I don’t care how it got there. Get. It. Out.”

Crosshair held up his hands placably. “Alright, alright.” He started to amble up the steps. “Hope it’s not poisonous. Are you sure you didn’t get bit, Hunter?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Hunter snapped, but the doubt in his voice was palpable.

Crosshair disappeared into the ship.

Echo waited with Hunter, Wrecker, and Tech – all three of them carefully avoiding eye contact. He’d only been with Clone Force 99 for a few weeks, and it was their first time planet side with any downtime. He wondered if this happened often.

“Creepy little things,” Echo observed casually. “Spiders.”

Tech looked annoyed. “Depending on the species, arachnids can be deadly,” he intoned.

“What species was this one?” Echo asked.

Tech shifted, his eyes finding something interesting to look at past Echo’s shoulder. “I didn’t get a good look at it, so it would be impossible to say.”

“Ah,” Echo said, nodding. “Hope Crosshair doesn’t get bit then. Just in case.”

“He knows how to properly dispose of them,” Tech said.

“That’s good,” Echo said.

Tangible, awkward silence followed. Echo enjoyed every second of it.

Crosshair came out of the Marauder with an unreadable look on his face. “I couldn’t find that spider anywhere. Pulled your whole bunk apart,” he said to Hunter. “Are you sure it was there?”

“Yes! We all saw it!” Wrecker sounded absolutely distraught.

Crosshair frowned. “I don’t know what you want me to do then. I can’t find the thing anywhere.” Echo noticed Crosshair’s loosely balled fist.

Reluctantly, grudgingly, depressingly, the three traumatized soldiers exchanged glances before trudging up the ramp to resume their tasks. Crosshair shook out his hand, and a little spider fell out, skittering away on frantic legs.

“You are a monster,” Echo said with a smile and a shake of his head.

Crosshair chuckled. “You’ll keep my secret?”

“Not my secret to tell,” Echo said. “But don’t expect me to participate.”

“You already did by not telling them what you saw,” Crosshair said with a devilish grin. “You’re in this now too. And if I go down, you’re going down with me.”

END

Tag List: @isthereanechoinhere96 @followthepurrgil @amorfista @mooncommlink @arctrooper69

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[bibannana]

Pretty Boy.

Echo *lounging in the Marauder*: I'm over here looking alright.

Hunter *lifts head to look at Echo*: Don't you mean looking pretty?

Echo *looks over and then at Tech*: Nope.

Tech *squints at him*: Why are you looking at me?

Echo *puts his head back down*: He doesn't know.

Tech *frowns*: Know what?

Crosshair *from where he is perched ontop of a stack of crates*: That you're the pretty one.

Tech *blinks and sits up completely*: I am not!

Echo *sighs*: Of course you are.

Wrecker *laughs*: Yeah!

Tech *confused*: But Hunter-

Echo *glances at Hunter*: Is far too worried about his hair.

Hunter *scowls*: Hey!

Crosshair *smirks*: Don't worry Hunter, you're still pretty.

Hunter *huffs*: Thanks-

Crosshair *grin spreads across his face*: Pretty annoying.

Wrecker *pokes Hunter*: Ha!

[archivistofnerddom]

The Batch: Omega, no.

Omega: Omega, yes.

The Batch: Omega, no!

Omega: Omega, yes!

The Batch: Omega! No!

Omega: Omega! Yes!

The Batch: *looking amongst themselves*

The Batch: *heavy sighs all around*

The Batch: *with varying degrees of reluctance and acceptance* Batch also yes.

Omega: *grins in ball of sunshine*

[casual-violinist-fangirl]

You are not Alone - 5,709 Words

Set after The Bad Batch Season 3, this fic takes place after the war is over and Omega returns home! She brings home some friends... and a secret.

This will be part of a series of works that covers Omega's time in the rebellion and all of the heart attacks she gives her family!

As always, the link to my AO3 is here and the link to my Bad Batch master list on Tumblr is here. I hope you enjoy!

--------

Crosshair rolled his eyes as he watched Hunter pace the short length of the living room once more.

“Wearing a hole in the floor isn’t going to bring her back quicker,” he commented, not unkindly. He knew how anxious Hunter was to see his daughter again after so long… kriff, he may have looked cool on the outside but on the inside his stomach was doing somersaults. Hunter scowled and sent his brother a sour look that told him everything he needed to know. 

Shut up.

Noted, thought Crosshair as he sighed and leaned back in his seat. No point in wasting time pacing when Omega was due to arrive in… an hour? He’d save his jitters until ten minutes before.

It had been an ordinary day on Pabu for the three brothers when they’d received the hologram. The transmission had beeped irritatingly, waking all three of them up; Hunter had practically sprinted to the machine, calling over his shoulder for the others as he recognised Omega’s call sign straight away. 

“Hey,” came the staticky voice of the young woman they had been waiting to hear from for weeks. Normally she was pretty good at keeping up with transmissions but an emergency operation had called her away. Something about rescuing a fellow pilot from Jabba the Hutt… 

Needless to say, Hunter hadn’t been best pleased when she’d revealed that to the group.

“Omega!” Hunter smiled warmly, though Crosshair knew that his kid would be able to see straight through the mask he was wearing. “How are you? Where’ve you been?”

There was no reply for a moment, and Wrecker frowned.

“Maybe the signal’s faulty?” he asked, only for Omega to shake her head. She was silent, but through the sound of static Crosshair just made out the sound of a sniffle.

“What’s wrong, Omega? Are you hurt?” Hunter had clearly heard it as well, and had Crosshair not wanted to ask the same questions, he would have rolled his eyes.

The woman shook her head, pony tail bobbing as she did so. “I’m not hurt,” she managed to croak out. She sniffed loudly and glanced down at herself. “Well I might be a little bruised but it’s okay. Rex sorted me out.”

So Omega had been with Rex? That soothed Hunter a little. Even though Rex was also ageing, the ex-sergeant trusted the man with his kid. He nodded, still clearly concerned and Crosshair sighed. What was making her cry then?

Wrecker seemed to share his sentiment. 

“What’s got ya crying then, kid?” he asked. “You good?” Wrecker’s hearing had deteriorated a bit over the years; the clone now wore a device to help him hear, though he still had a habit of speaking louder than possibly necessary.

Omega let out a watery laugh at that, and a shaky smile spread across her face. She drew in a shuddering breath before carrying on.

“It’s over. We won.” 

There was a moments silence before all of a sudden all three of the clones were cheering loudly. They had grinned and congratulated her. They’d never doubted her abilities of course, but it could be hard fighting in a battle that felt like it had no end in sight. 

“I’m coming home,” she continued, though there was a slight hesitation to her voice. Hunter raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate further. Something was clearly on her mind.

“Is it alright if I bring a couple of friends? They… need a break.”

No one asked questions about who Omega’s friends were, or why indeed they needed a break. Questions like that simply weren’t asked on Pabu. Everyone was welcome as long as they didn’t pose a threat to the peaceful lives of those that lived there.

It was agreed, Omega would arrive as soon as possible (one standard rotation) and she would be bringing two friends with her. Now all the others had to do was wait.

Simple.

Completely and utterly simple…

… or at least it should have been. Hunter was clearly having a hard time remembering to chill the kriff out. No one could blame him, Crosshair supposed. It wasn’t every day you daughter upped and left to join a rebellion. The ex-sergeant had suffered his fair share of near-heart attacks when he’d received comm messages from Omega declaring that she was going undercover and that no one should contact her unless absolutely necessary. The first time she had gone comm silent, Hunter had spent a week staring at his comm device, waiting for it to beep. He’d nearly cried when he’d finally heard her voice again.

Of course, there had also been the time Hunter had actually been summoned to Omega’s aid… he’d been there in a heartbeat, of course, but Crosshair had been the one to break up the argument that came when Omega wanted to re-join the rebellion. Hunter had refused to talk to his brother and kid the whole evening, but had crumbled in the morning when Omega had brought him his usually cup of caf with a watery, hopeful smile.

There had been nothing but short conversations every week or so since that time, which now that Crosshair thought about it, was nearly a year ago. It was high time Omega came home.

——

Wrecker bounded through the door of the hut, shocking Hunter and Crosshair; of the three of them, Wrecker had been the one to maintain most of his youthful energy… just not as much as he was displaying now. 

“She’s here!” he cried, and suddenly both of the other clones were on their feet. Injuries and ageing combined meant that both of them had slowed down a little, with Hunter now favouring one leg (and refusing to use a walking stick), and Crosshair having to slow his pace a little. 

Upon their arrival at the Archium, they were greeted by an achingly familiar ship… Omega’s ship. 

The ramp hissed open, and Hunter took the opportunity to observe the level of carbon scoring on the front. What had she been up to? He tried not to think about it as he heard footsteps heading towards the ship’s ramp; he stared hopefully, waiting for Omega to exit.

Then, suddenly she was there, hair a little longer, eyes a little more tired. Her bag was slung over one shoulder and she carried Lula under one arm whilst her other…

… bore a sling. 

Hunter moved towards the woman, a frown on his face as he went to examine her arm.

“What happened?” he asked, stooping a little to examine the sling. Omega rolled her eyes, a fond smile on her face.

“Hello to you too, buir,” she teased before wrapping in him a hug that forced him to stop looking at her bandaged arm. He sighed contentedly as they stood in her embrace. She was here! Injured and tired, but she was here.

Hunter finally felt as though he could breathe again. 

“Missed, you, ‘Mega,” he croaked out, his voice thick with emotion. The woman sniffled in response; she was clearly fighting back the tears as well.

She pulled back from the embrace before going to each of her brothers; Wrecker wrapped her in his arms and Hunter knew that if he was still able she’d be up in the air like she had been when she was little.

Then came Crosshair. She smiled at the ex-sniper before slinging her good arm around him. He hugged her back, muttering something about “definitely checking out her bandages later” under his breath. She rolled her eyes fondly as she pulled away.

“You sound just like buir,” she teased. Crosshair huffed, trying to look unimpressed.

“Oh, I’m much worse.” 

Omega let out a small huff of laughter at that. She turned back to the ramp of her ship, smiling as the patter of small feet could be heard.

“Auntie ‘Meg!” A little boy came barrelling down the ship’s ramp; he stopped short when he spotted the three old men looking at him, surprised. When Omega had said that she was bringing home friends… they hadn’t thought that one of them would be under the age of five.

“Hey, Jacen!” the young woman smiled and held out her good arm. The little boy, Jacen, ran over to her and into her embrace. Hunter blinked. This was Omega, his little girl, ruffling a little boy’s hair and being called ‘auntie?’ Suddenly the ex-sergeant felt his age as he absorbed the situation.

Omega glanced up at her family, a small laugh escaping her as she looked at their faces. The small child with her stared around at the clones, a look of curiosity on his face.

“Who’re these old men, Auntie ‘Meg?” he asked in a loud whisper that only made Omega laugh more. She put her arm around the little boy and nodded to each of them as she introduced them. “These, Jacen,” she started. “Are my buir and my brothers. This is Hunter, Crosshair and Wrecker.”

Jacen nodded, his mop of dark green hair bobbing as he did. “They helped your mum once, on her home planet. That’s how me and her met.”

The penny dropped as Hunter realised whose kid this was. He glanced back up a the ramp of Omega’s ship only to see Hera Syndulla herself; she looked worn out as she clambered down and towards the group. Upon seeing the three clones, she smiled warmly. Hunter hadn’t seen her since their time on Ryloth all of those years ago, and he couldn’t believe how much she’d grown… saying that, he still couldn’t believe how much Omega had grown and she’d done that in from of his very eyes.

“Hunter,” she greeted with a sly smile before she ruffling her son’s hair. “Thank you for having us.”

Hunter nodded. “Of course,” he responded, glancing at Omega, who was now tickling Jacen and making him squeal. “You’re welcome any time.”

Hera raised an eyebrow as she observed the clone, but said nothing. She simply greeted the rest of the family, thanking them all for their hospitality, before Omega stood to her full height once more.

“I’ll show you around,” she gushed. “You’ll love it here!”

——

That evening, the family sat down with Hera and Jacen, eating foods that had been prepared for Omega’s return. Hunter had noticed throughout the evening that there were times when Omega was about to take something from a plate, only for her to glance up at Hera as though asking a silent question. The Twi’lek would then either nod or shake her head. Occasionally his daughter would sigh and pout when her friend shook her head, which confused Hunter to no end. Was Hera controlling what Omega was eating? What was going on?

He didn’t get a great deal to ponder over his kid’s new habit though, because one Jacen Syndulla was chatting up a storm with his new-found friends. At one point, Hera had to ask him to actually stop talking so that the little boy could eat the food on his plate. It had made Wrecker chuckle, and Crosshair let out a small sigh of relief.

Hunter used the opportunity to turn his attention back to Omega; he’d overheard the young woman complaining that her boots were getting too small earlier, and Lyanna chiming in that it was completely normal for that to happen. Hunter tried to wrack his brain, confused as anything. Omega was an adult, there was no reason that her feet should be growing now. He should know, he was the one who’d had to buy her new boots what felt like every six months at one point. 

His little girl also looked even more tired than usual, but he chalked that up to the end of the war. Even so, Hera had been mothering her a bit; there had been multiple reminders to sit and relax for a while, only for those comments to be met with a scowl from Omega.

His kid still didn’t like being told what to do, but this dynamic between the pair of them still made no sense to him.

As the evening rolled on, Crosshair had produced a variety alcoholic drinks as well as a jug of fruit juice for Jacen to drink; it had definitely not been lost on Hunter when Omega opted to drink the juice instead of a fruity punch that she would normally drink with her family.

Not long after that Jacen had started to flag, prompting Hera to encourage him to say goodnight to his new friends.

Jacen pouted upon hearing the words “bed time.”

“But Auntie ‘Meg’s family still haven’t heard all of our stories!” he cried, saddened by the injustice of it all. The grown ups all chuckled lightly as Omega crouched down in front of the little boy.

“We can keep telling them tomorrow, kid,” she started with a smile. “Now, your mum told me you like twinkly lights… wanna see the ones in my old room? You and Hera can sleep there tonight.”

Jacen immediately perked up at the mention of the string of lights Wrecker had hung up years ago. Hunter smiled fondly as he remembered Omega’s face when she’d seen them; she’d cried a little because of how they reminded her of the Marauder.

Hera stood and snagged her friend’s good arm. 

“Omega, we couldn’t possibly take your bed,” she started. “Not when…” she trailed off and not for the first time that evening, Hunter’s stomach did a flip. He didn’t get much time to think about it when the other woman shook her head. She was determined. 

“You need somewhere to sleep,” she insisted. “Besides, you and Jacen won’t fit on the couch. I will.”

Hera crossed her arms, looking like she was about to fight Omega on the subject when Jacen took her hand with a pleading look on his face. 

“I wanna see the lights, mum!” he grinned, tugging on her arm. Hera sighed and nodded, bidding the family goodnight before going to put her son to bed.

She sent a look over her shoulder to Omega as she went. It was a questioning glance, but Omega waved her off, a nervous smile on her face.

Wrecker and Crosshair disappeared into the kitchen, bickering over who was going to clean up and who was going to dry. Hunter chuckled as he heard them go, sitting forward in his seat and pouring himself another drink. He had never been a huge drinker, knowing that the alcohol messed with his senses, but since the fall of Hemlock he didn’t mind having a drink with his family. He offered the jug of punch to Omega, knowing it was her favourite, but frowned when she shook her head.

“I’ve still got a cup,” she stated by way of explanation. That was a lie. Her ears were a little flushed and she bit her lip, a telltale sign that she was lying. She had always been an awful liar.

“You never took any in the first place,” he replied, not unkindly. “You okay, kid?” Her eyes widened, knowing she’d been caught. Omega curled up on the bench she was sat on, bringing her knees up to her chin like she had done when she was little. That did nothing to soothe Hunter, who was becoming more worried by the minute. He stood from his seat and slowly eased himself into a crouch in front of his daughter.

“I just want to help you, ad’ika,” he placed a gentle hand on her knee. “You’ve seemed off all day, what’s up?”

Omega’s eyes filled with tears and she blinked rapidly to try and be rid of them. 

“I…” she sniffled. “I don’t know what to do.”

All of a sudden it was like she was ten all over again. She surged forward and wrapped her arms around her buir’s neck. He returned the hug, never one to shy away from comforting his kid. 

“Whatever it is, ad’ika, we can fix it,” he’d meant for his words to be soothing but if anything Omega just cried more. “Whatever you need, we’ve got you,” he continued. “I’ve got you, Omega.”

For a while she said nothing and he just held her, running a gentle hand through her hair. His leg began to ache as it usually did when when he was in one position for too long, but he ignored it. Omega needed him to be there for her, and be there for her he would.

“I-I met someone,” she eventually stammered out, pulling away and wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve. Hunter gently removed her hands and handed her a handkerchief; the woman snorted a little with laughter at the gesture. Her buir was becoming such an old man.

“Sh-she’s amazing, buir,” she continued. There was a tone to her voice that made Hunter smile. “Her name’s Tessa and she’s part of the rebellion too. She joined as a medic…” she trailed off, her cheeks a little flushed. “She helped me out with this.” She gestured to the arm in the sling.

Hunter’s smile grew as he listened to Omega speak about this woman. 

“I-I think I love her, Hunter,” the woman let out a nervous laugh before her smile broke and was replaced with more tears being held back. “But I kept a secret from her and now she wants us to ‘take a break’ whilst she thinks things over.”

The ex-sergeant frowned at this. What secret could Omega have kept that meant that Tessa wanted to think things over?

“What secret, ‘Megs?” he asked, wiping a stray tear from the woman’s cheek. She took a couple of shaky breaths before burying her face in Hunter’s neck once more. He was taken aback a little but held her nonetheless. If it was comfort that Omega needed, it was comfort he would give.

“It was stupid,” she started. “It was a stupid, stupid one night thing, before me and Tessa even knew each other…” A sob ripped through her again, and she tried to steady her breathing. 

She muttered something, just loud enough for Hunter to hear. His eyes widened and he took a shaky breath in.

“I see,” he replied, pulling away from the embrace a little. Omega wouldn’t look him in the eye, her cheeks tear stained and her eyes puffy. Sighing, Hunter pulled his kid back into a hug and pressed a gentle kiss to her hair. 

“You’re not mad?” she asked, her voice trembling with nerves. Hunter let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “I could never be mad at you, ad’ika,” he soothed. “Besides, it’s not like you’re a kid anymore. You’re an adult… and the war is over. This is probably the best time to be raising a kid.”

Omega nodded against his chest and slowly pulled away. Hunter smiled at her; he had so many questions running through his mind right now, but he knew that wasn’t what his little girl needed… his little girl who wasn’t so little anymore.

“You,” he said quietly, pressing his forehead against hers. “Are going to be an incredible mother.” Omega let out a watery laugh of disbelief, having not come to terms with the situation herself. 

“A mother…” she croaked out, her voice thick with emotion. “I’m not ready.”

Hunter pulled back from the embrace, slowly pushing himself into a standing position. He held out his hand to help Omega up, which she accepted. The sat next to each other on the bench she had been perched on before they wound up on the floor.

“You think I was ready to be a father?” he asked, a teasing tone in his voice. “You never complained once, even when I made every mistake under the kriffing sun.”

A small chuckle escaped his daughter. “I knew you just wanted what was best for me,” she replied, leaning into Hunter’s side. “You always tried to do what was best, even when it was nearly impossible.”

The ex-sergeant nodded and a thought occurred to him. 

“Cut always said that battling droids was nothing compared to raising a child…” he trailed off, deep in thought. “He was right, raising you was hard… we were always on the run, looking over our shoulders… trying to rescue you from Imperial scientists.” He wrapped an arm around her and shuffled a little closer.

“We relied on each other and our allies to help us. They helped us stay safe.. and raise you.” Hunter looked down at his kid. “You have us, Omega. We’re here to help you through this… even if we never did the baby stage with you.” 

She nodded, not responding verbally for a while and the pair sat in a content silence. Before long Crosshair and Wrecker emerged from the kitchen laughing about something but coming to a halt when they spotted Omega’s tear-stained face and Hunter’s arm wrapped around her. The latter glanced down, a questioning eyebrow raised. “You telling them now?” he asked, an encouraging smile on his face.

After a moments pause, Omega nodded, sighing. “It’s as good a time as any,” she replied. Crosshair and Wrecker glanced at each other, confused, before sitting down opposite the father and daughter to listen to what she had to say.

——

Safe to say, Omega hadn’t needed to worry about telling any of her family that she was pregnant. Wrecker was thrilled at the prospect of becoming a ba’vodu and had wrapped his sister in a massive hug. Crosshair had been more reserved in his response, mainly wanting to know how Omega was feeling; he had also asked if Tessa needed… talking to. His sister had shot him down quickly, making it clear that she was serious about the medic if she wanted to take her back.

“It’s a lot to consider,” she’d reasoned in a sad voice. “It’s not just me she’d be taking on…”

Satisfied for now, the ex-sniper backed off, giving his little sister a hug before sitting back in his seat and pulling a toothpick out of his pockets.

The family had turned in not long after that. Hunter had insisted that Omega take his bed despite her protests.

“Being cramped on the couch won’t help your arm,” he reasoned. “Besides, it’s not just you anymore.” His daughter had snorted and rolled her eyes at that, but relented. She had another six months of Hunter being somehow more protective… she’d better get used to it now. He’d helped her set up his bed and went to bid her goodnight; as he turned around she quietly called him back.

“Thank you, buir,” she whispered as the exhaustion began to settle in. He smiled softly. 

“Always, ad’ika,” he replied. He moved back into the room, gently pressing a kiss against her forehead where she lay in bed before moving away. As he left, he heard her mumble something sleepily that made his heart flutter.

“You’re gonna make a great ba’buir.”

There went his heart, flipping once more. He smiled warmly as Omega slipped into a deep sleep. He remembered years ago, when Hera had been pregnant with Jacen and the Batch had thought it was Omega who was pregnant… he’d freaked out. 

Now, he couldn’t bring himself to be as freaked out. Babies were new territory for all of them, but Hunter knew more than anything that he and his brothers would support Omega, no matter what. If she needed them, they’d be there.

————

(Three years Later)

The gentle sea breeze of Pabu wafted through the windows of the house, making Hunter smile and close his eyes. He sighed as he leaned back on the couch, but his attempts to relax were cut short when he picked up the sound of tiny footsteps running across the patio.

“Ba’buir!” The tiny voice of Mina echoed through the living room of the house, making Hunter laugh as he sat up. A small mop of blonde hair appeared in his vision as she toddled over to him.

“Ah, my favourite bu’ad,” he commented, pressing a kiss to her hair and making the little girl giggle. Of course she was his only grandchild, but if she smiled like that every time he said it, he’d happily keep saying it.

“Where’s mama?” he asked, picking up the toddler. A shy look crossed the child’s face and Hunter was taken aback at how much she looked like Omega.

A small shrug made Hunter laugh. Mina buried her face in Hunter’s chest, giggling a little.

“Are you hiding from mama?” he asked, only for Mina to nod and giggle more. In the distance, he could hear footsteps approaching, Omega’s footsteps. 

“Mina?” came a voice, a touch of concern laced through it. Pabu was a safe place, safe as could be, but Mina was a… curious little girl. It wasn’t beyond her to get into little scrapes when an adult’s back was turned for more than thirty seconds. 

“Quick!” Hunter whispered, smiling at his granddaughter’s grin. “Hide from mama!” 

Mina wriggled until she was wedged between Hunter and the back of the couch. She let out a quiet giggle before Omega walked into the room, looking a little flustered. Hunter plastered a fake look of concern on his face.

“You okay, ad’ika?” he asked, trying not to smile. Omega sighed, still looking worried. 

“Mina ran off at the market,” she worried her bottom lip. “Tessa’ll pull her hair out if I comm her to say she’s missing again so I kinda want to find her quickly…”

Hunter nodded, understanding. Tessa had appeared back in Omega’s life when Mina was about three months old. At first, the Batch had regarded her with scepticism; this woman had hurt Omega! After a while, though (a long while in Crosshair’s case) they had warmed to the medic. One particularly scary night when Mina had been ill, it had been Tessa who’d kept them all calm and in the loop. Watching how gentle the woman was with his daughter and granddaughter that night had won Hunter and his brothers over. She had been a permanent fixture in their family ever since…

… if only Omega would get over herself and propose to her. 

“Well I’ll help you look for her,” Hunter stated, sincerity in his voice. He slowly went to stand from the couch, smiling as Mina latched herself onto his back. All Omega had to do was look at him and she’d see the little girl peeping over his shoulder, arms wrapped around his neck.

Instead, Omega bounced up the stairs of the house, going to look in her old room; it was unofficially Mina’s now for when she came to visit her ba’buir and bavodu’e. She enjoyed sleepovers there, making cakes with Wrecker and giggling hysterically when Crosshair and Hunter told her stories about Omega. 

“She definitely didn’t come this way?” Omega called down the stairs. Hunter shifted his grip on Mina, and the little girl giggled. 

“No, can’t say I’ve seen her…” he trailed off. “She reminds me of you, ad’ika, always running off and getting into scrapes when you were little.”

Omega appeared back in the room, looking flustered; her eyes fixed on the small pair of arms latched around Hunter’s neck and she sighed. 

“You’re not funny, buir,” she chastised as she approached Hunter and her daughter. 

Mina stuck her head out from where she was on Hunter’s back and giggled. 

“Mama!” she cried happily. “I hiding with ba’buir.” Omega let out a small laugh as that, ruffling her daughter’s hair. 

“Oh yeah?” she asked, an eyebrow raised. “Well it seems as though your ba’buir is a bad influence.”

Hunter let out a mock gasp, pretending to be offended, but his smile gave him away. Mina wriggled in his grip and he placed her down on the floor, only for her to toddle away, dragging her own little Lula with her.

“She’s growing up fast,” Hunter commented, and a look of aching realisation hit Omega. She nodded, a small smile on her face.

“I just want her to stay this little forever, you know?” she stated, watching with a smile as Mina came back over and held her arms up for her mother. Omega swooped down and picked her up, placing her on her hip as Mina rested her head in the crook of her mama’s neck. 

“We thought that about you,” Hunter stated, his own small, sad smile on his face. “But we would never have met Mina if you’d stayed the little girl we met on Kamino…” he smirked, a teasing look on his face. “Though we wouldn’t mind not having to go through your teenage years again.”

Omega rolled her eyes at her buir. She knew he was right of course, her teenage years had not been… the easiest. Lots of pent up trauma had floated to the surface and had lead her to do things she’d rather not remember (including running away at one point, convinced that the Empire were after her again). She glanced down at her daughter and vowed there and then that she would never place Mina in that position. Not ever.

“Can we have cake?” came the small voice that startled both adults out of their trains of thought. Hunter laughed lightly, ruffling Mina’s hair.

“I reckon we might have some somewhere…” he trailed off, pretending to think in a way that made his bu’ad laugh. 

“Ba’buir’s being silly, mama!” she giggled, and Omega smiled a warm smile. “He does have cake!”

Hunter dropped the pretence, taking his granddaughter from her mother and walking towards the kitchen. The pair chattered contentedly as he went about getting the cake out for his family. Omega leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen, a fond smile on her face. It was memories like these that made her wish she’d taken up Tech’s habit of recording everything. She made herself a promise that she’d dig out her recorder later. These were the things that she wanted to remember forever.

————

(Twenty Five Years Later)

Mina crept towards the cave where she knew the ship was waiting to pick her up; she breathed in the see breeze of Pabu one last time and smiled. She was going to miss this place…

Once she reached the beach, just metres away from where she was meeting Poe, she froze as she spotted a familiar figure perched on a rock. The figure’s blonde-turning-grey hair fluttered in the wind as she watched the waves lapping against the sand.

“Mom…” Mina breathed as she wondered towards the figure. She should’ve known that she wouldn’t get away with creeping away.

“You can’t beat me at my own game,” Omega’s voice was a little rough with age and she looked up at her daughter. “I tried doing this when I was your age. Your ba’buir caught me trying to sneak off in the middle of the night… from this cave.”

Mina deadpanned when she realised that she really had just been trying to copy her mother’s actions. Omega stood from the rock she was sat on and approached the younger woman, a sad smile on her face.

“Let me guess,” she started, a resigned look on her face. “That Poe Dameron’s waiting for you in there?”

A nod confirmed Omega’s thoughts. Mina’s cheeks flushed a little; she’d been talking back and forth with Poe for the past few months and the pair had grown close… rebellion talk aside. 

“There are whispers of the Empire returning,” Mina explained. “Whispers of the Emperor coming back…” Omega’s head shot up at that, a look of petrified recognition in her eyes. She had tried to protect her daughter from her past, knowing that it was likely their blood possessed similar qualities, and if people were trying to bring the Emperor back… maybe they’d been successful. 

“You fought so hard for a universe where I could grow up and be safe… it’s only fair that I pick up that torch.”

All of a sudden, Omega knew exactly how Hunter had felt when she’d left him all those years ago. Her heart ached at the thought of her buir and brothers, long gone now, and how fiercely they’d fought for her safety. Her daughter was cut from the same cloth and as stubborn as anything… there would be no persuading to get her to turn around and go home now.

“You grew up, ad’ika…” she trailed off, bringing a hand to cup her little girl’s cheek. Before she could get too emotional, she wrapped Mina in a hug, holding her close and taking in everything she could.

When they pulled away from the hug, Mina had tears in her eyes but tried to blink them away. She went to walk into the cave and meet Poe, but was cut short by her name being called.

Omega was frantically trying to untie a piece of cord from her neck; Mina’s eyes widened as she took off the necklace that had belonged to Hunter, her ba’buir. Omega had cried for days when he’d died, clinging onto the necklace like it was a lifeline. He was buried with Crosshair, Echo and Wrecker now, finally at rest after living out the rest of his life on the peaceful island.

“Mom…” she trailed off as Omega held out the necklace to her daughter. “That belonged to ba’buir, I couldn’t…”

“Take it,” her mother smiled, but it was watery. “I wanted to pass it on to you when you were ready… I just never realised it would creep up on me.”

Mina sniffed and wrapped her mom in one final hug. 

“I’m gonna miss you, but I’ll be back,” she reassured as she squeezed Omega tightly. “I promise you, I will.” 

Omega pulled away and nodded towards the cave. “Off you go…” she trailed off. “If you need me, I’ll be there.”

Mina smiled back at her mother, giving her a small salute as she waled towards the cave. Omega looked a little taken aback for a moment, but returned the salute with a grin on her face. 

Yeah, she’d be there if her daughter needed her, but she knew that Mina had her family watching over her as well. That thought was comforting. 

She’ll be fine.

[underestimated-shadow]

I tried so hard

And got so far

But in the end

It doesn’t even matter

I had to fall

To lose it all

But in the end

It doesn’t even matter

“In The End” by LINKIN PARK

[sweetlittlestarbursts]

Crosshair : Okay okay stop asking me if I'm straight, gay, bi, whatever. I identify as a FUCKING THREAT!

(Tech, patting Crosshair on the head softly: he's just a little gay is all.)

[theartgremlin]

He was crying.

You guys, Crosshair was actually crying.